"The Crocodile" is a children's poem by Oliver Herford. This poem was published as part of "Artful Anticks" in 1901.

In this poem for kids, Herford writes about a crocodile who invites her acquaintances to dinner. Despite politely sending each a dinner invitation, the fox, the goat, a couple of rabbits, and some eels decline their invitations from the crocodile. The suspect her polite invitation as a way to make each of them a dinner course. The poem with a generous eruption of crocodile tears. The crocodile feels rejected, believing that those who received her invitation simply don't know their place - in the food chain, presumably.

The Crocodile

A crocodile once dropped a line
To a Fox to invite him to dine;
But the Fox wrote to say
He was dining, that day,_
With a Bird friend, and begged to decline.

She sent off at once to a Goat.
“Pray don’t disappoint me,” she wrote;
But he answered too late,
He’d forgotten the date,_
Having thoughtlessly eaten her note_.

The Crocodile thought him ill-bred,
And invited two Rabbits instead;
But the Rabbits replied,
They were hopelessly tied
By a previous engagement, and fled.

Then she wrote in despair to some Eels,
And begged them to “drop in” to meals;
But the Eels left their cards
With their coldest regards,
And took to what went for their heels.

Cried the Crocodile then, in disgust,
“My motives they seem to mistrust.
Their suspicions are base,
Since they don’t know their place,
I suppose if I must starve, I must!”

MUSIC CREDITS:
The theme music for this children's poem reading was created and recorded by Eddie Lewis (www.eddielewis.com).

ART CREDITS:
The graphics used in this video were created specifically for this video by Pearl Lewis (www.DrPearlLewis.com).

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